THOUGHTS 


CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP, 


AND   THE 


USUAL  MODE  OF  CONDUCTING  IT, 


IN  CONNEXION  WITH 


ITS  MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  INFLUENCE. 


BY 


ISAAC  ROBSON. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

HENRY  LONQSTRETH,    915   MARKET   STREET. 

1858. 


THE  Writer  wishes  it  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  following  pages  are 
not  put  forth  as  a  complete  treatise  on  the  important  subject  to  which  they 
relate,  but  simply,  as  the  title  implies,  as  cursory  thoughts  submitted  to  the 
serious  consideration  of  Christian  Professors  of  every  denomination. 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP. 


IT  is  truly  satisfactory  to  observe  that  there  has  sprung  up,  within 
the  last  few  years,  a  deep  and  lively  interest  on  behalf  of  that  im- 
portant part  of  the  community,  the  labouring  classes.  It  appears  to 
be  more  and  more  felt  and  acknowledged,  that,  as  regards  our  reli- 
gious appliances,  there  has  been  something  wanting — that,  in  fact, 
whilst  its  obligations  are  increasingly  recognised  by  the  wealthier 
portion  of  society,  Religion  has  obtained  but  little  influence,  compara- 
tively, over  the  masses.  Hence  have  arisen  the  efforts  recently  made, 
by  means  of  preaching  in  the  open  air,  and  in  rooms  not  usually  ap- 
propriated to  religious  purposes,  to  obtain  a  hearing  from  those  who 
will  not  enter  a  regular  place  of  worship — efforts  that  afford  cheering 
indications  of  increased  vitality  in  the  religious  world. 

In  order,  however,  to  apply  an  efficient  remedy,  it  is  important  to 
have  a  clear  understanding,  not  only  of  the  various  phases,  but  also, 
as  far  as  practicable,  of  the  causes  of  the  disease.  In  the  body  poli- 
tic, this  is  no  easy  matter;  nor,  indeed,  is  it  possible  for  any  one  in- 
dividual, from  his  own  observation,  to  form  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
varied  and  multiplied  causes  which  operate  against  the  spread  of 
Christian  light  nnd  truth  among  the  people.  This  can  only  be  ob- 
tained by  nn  accumulation  of  evidence  collected  from  different  quar- 
ters, and  by  individuals  in  various  circumstances,  who,  from  diversity 
of  mental  constitution  and  training,  view  things  in  different  aspects — 
each  being  prone  to  discover  defects  in  the  direction  in  which  his 
own  attention  has  been  particularly  turned. 

It  is  with  the  view  of  casting  in  his  mite  towards  this  object,  not 
for  the  purpose  of  advocating  any  particular  form,  that  the  writer  of 
the  following  remarks  has  been  induced  to  invite  the  attention  of  his 
fellow  professors  of  the  Christian  name  to  one  very  important  subject, 
viz.  that  of  IWi'f  Worship,  and  (hr,  popular  mode  of  conducting  it. 
In  this  attempt  he  is  very  conscious  of  his  own  inability  to  do  justice 
to  what  he  feels  to  be  not  only  a  momentous  but  a  delicate  question; 
he  is  well  aware,  also,  that  the  prejudices  imbibed  from  education 
and  from  long-cherished  and  unquestioning  attachment  to  time-ho- 


4  THOUGHTS  ON  CHEISTIAN  WORSHIP. 

noured  observances,  will  naturally  tend  to  close  the  minds  of  many 
against  the  cordial  reception  of  some  of  the  sentiments  here  enunci- 
ated. But  he  has  enough  of  confidence  in  that  manly  independence 
of  thought,  and  that  desire  to  ascertain  the  truth,  which  are  charac- 
teristic of  the  present  age,  to  induce  him  to  hope  for  a  patient  and 
candid  perusal. 

Whilst  we  may  thankfully  believe  that  there  is  in  the  present  day, 
among  the  various  denominations  of  Christians,  a  large  and  increasing 
number  who  are  really  heart-worshippers,  it  cannot  be  denied  that 
there  is  also  a  large  number  of  another  class,  of  whom  it  may  be  said 
that  "  while  they  profess  that  they  know  God,  in  works  they  deny 
Him."  Punctual,  it  may  be,  in  their  attendance  on  public  worship, 
and  abstaining,  perhaps,  from  vices  which  would  endanger  their  con- 
ventional reputation,  if  we  trace  them  through  the  lanes  of  life,  we  find 
them  as  apt  to  wander  in  by-ways  and  crooked  paths  as  those  who 
make  no  profession  at  all.  They  are  as  much  attached  to  the  world 
and  its  pursuits,  as  fond  of  money,  as  unscrupulous  in  the  mode  of 
obtaining  it,  as  ready  to  take  advantage  of  ignorance  or  weakness,  as 
often  in  the  Gazette,  as  prone  to  deception  and  dishonesty.  Their 
standard  seems  no  higher — thc-ir  aim  no  loftier.  In  short,  there  is 
little  or  no  visible  evidence  that  they  regard  themselves  as  strangers 
and  sojourners  here  below,  and  that  they  are  seeking  "  a  better  coun- 
try, that  is,  a  heavenly."  These,  indeed,  may  be  said  to  be  but 
"spots  in  our  feasts  of  charity,"  but,  alas,  they  are  so  numerous  and 
prominent  that,  to  a  great  extent,  they  hide  from  the  view  of  dis- 
tant spectators — the  multitude  who  look  at  the  aggregate  and  will 
not  take  the  trouble  to  discriminate — that  which  is  "  pure  and  lovely, 
and  of  good  report" — that  which  is  calculated  more  powerfully  than 
any  thing  else  to  recommend  Christianity  to  the  acceptance  of  the 
people.  Many  of  the  more  shrewd  and  observant  of  the  working 
men  are  very  quick  to  perceive  these  inconsistencies,  and  coupling 
them  with  the  numerous  applications  for  money,  for  tithes,  for  church 
rates,  for  Easter  offerings,  for  baptisms,  for  marriages,  for  funerals, 
for  pew  rents,  for  organs,  &c.,.  they  at  once  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  religion  is  a  system  of  human  invention,  framed  for  the  purpose 
of  enabling  individuals  of  the  classes  above  them  to  obtain  a  geuteel 
and  comfortable  livelihood.  The  folly  and  rashness  of  such  a  con- 
clusion do  not  alter  the  fact  that,  whether  sincere  or  not,  this  is  the 
sentiment  openly  professed  by  many  of  our  mechanics  and  artisans, 
and  that  it  is  advanced  as  an  excuse  for  not  entering  a  place  of  wor- 
ship. 

Seeing,  therefore,  that  whilst  religion  is  not  answerable  for  the  un- 
faithfulness and  hypocrisy  of  its  professors,  we  cannot  deny  the  pre- 
valence of  much  superficiality  and  insincerity  amongst  the  various 
Christian  communities,  it  is  worth  while  to  consider  whether,  in  the 
ordinary  modes  and  appendages  of  public  worship,  there  is  any  thing 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP.  5 

calculated  to  foster  evils  so  detrimental  to  the  spread  of  divine  truth, 
and  affording,  as  we  must  admit,  too  much  occasion  for  the  sneers 
and  taunts  of  the  skeptic  and  the  infidel.  Let  us  then  proceed  to 
examine,  as  fairly  and  impartially  as  we  can,  some  of  the  practices 
which  have  obtained  almost  universal  adoption. 

In  the  first  place,  although  it  may  appear  a  matter  of  trifling  im- 
portance, it  may  not  be  amiss  to  remark  that  the  buildings  appropri- 
ated to  this  purpose  are  often  greatly  decorated,  and  that  there  is  a 
growing  tendency  in  this  direction,  particularly  among  the  Dissenters 
of  the  present  day. 

The  manner  of  conducting  "  the  service"  in  these  buildings  varies 
considerably,  but  the  following  may  perhaps  be  taken  as  an  outline 
of  the  course  most  commonly  pursued.  First,  music  and  singing; 
then  a  prayer  by  the  minister;  next,  the  sermon  ;  after  that,  another 
prayer;  and  lastly,  music  and  singing  again;  a  portion  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  being  also  introduced  in  the  course  of  the  service. 

Let  us  then  first  inquire — Has  the  architecture  or  the  music  any 
thing  to  do  with  worship?  These  are  classed  together,  as  both  ap- 
pealing to  the  senses  rather  than  to  the  understanding.  We  cannot, 
of  course,  believe  that  our  Almighty  Father,  like  one  of  ourselves, 
will  be  pleased  with  the  beauty  of  the  edifice  or  the  notes  of  the  in- 
animate organ,  and  that  the  sweeter  the  tones,  the  greater  will  be 
His  delight.  Is  it  then  mainly  to  gratify  man's  taste  and  pride  in 
the  building,  and  to  please  his  own  ears,  that  he  is  so  solicitous  about 
the  architectural  display  and  the  correctness  and  harmony  of  the 
music?  If  this  be  the  case,  is  it  serving  the  Deity,  or  himself ? 

Immaterial  as  it  is,  so  that  true  worship  is  performed,  whether  it 
be  in  a  cathedral  or  in  a  barn,  or  under  the  open  canopy  of  heaven, 
yet  it  is  worthy  of  consideraiion,  whether  all  this  splendour  in  the 
building  and  its  fittings  is  not  at  once  both  indicative  and  promotive 
of  that  worldly,  unspiritual  tendency  inherent  in  our  fallen  nature, 
which  has  ever  been  the  bane  of  vital  Christianity,  and  which,  where 
it  is  allowed  to  prevail,  is  the  sure  precursor  of  degeneracy.  It  may 
also  be  worth  a  thought  whether  the  circumstance  above  mentioned, 
in  connexion  with  the  pew  system,  so  comfortable  to  those  who  can 
afford  to  pay  for  the  most  eligible  scats,  has  any  influence  in  prevent- 
ing the  attendance  of  the  millions  whose  homes  and  whose  habits 
present  so  strong  a  contrast  to  what  they  see  around  them,  as  to  pre- 
vent their  feeling  at  case  in  a  place  whence  all  class-exclusiveness 
ought  to  be  banished,  and  in  which  it  ought  to  be  especially  felt  that 
"  the  rich  and  poor  meet  together"  on  equal  ground  in  the  presence 
of  Him  who  "  is  the  Maker  of  them  all." 

With  regard  to  the  use  of  instrumental  music  in  worship,  we  may 
now  proceed  to  examine  whether  there  is  Scriptural  warrant  for  it 
under  the  Christian  Dispensation.  We  find  indeed  that  it  was,  as 
it  still  is,  largely  employed  in  the  worship  of  Heathen  Nations. 


6  THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP. 

In  Babylon,  for  instance,  we  are  told  that  Shadrach,  Mcshach,  and 
Abeduego  were  commanded  to  fall  down  before  the  image  on  hearing 
the  sound  of  the  music.  It  was  also  practised  by  the  Israelites  at 
a  much  earlier  period;  for  we  are  informed  that,  when  the  children 
of  Israel  departed  out  of  Egypt,  they  had  musical  instruments  iu 
their  possession,  and  that  they  used  them  in  celebrating  their  delive- 
rance on  the  banks  of  the  Ked  Sea.  Under  the  dispensation  of  the 
law,  they  continued  to  employ  them  in  connexion  with  several  of 
their  typical  ceremonies;  but  after  that  dispensation  had  passed  away, 
and  its  shadows  were  superseded  by  the  substance  prefigured  by 
them,  these  ceremonies  and  their  accompaniments  being  no  longer  re- 
quired, we  shall  search  the  N<w  Testament  in  vain  for  any  direction, 
or  example  in  the  first  Christians,  for  the  use  of  musical  instruments. 
But  Christianity  is  not  inherited  by  descent.  Every  individual  in 
every  succeeding  generation,  however  favourably  circumstanced,  is 
born  a  child  of  fallen  Adam;  and  a  similar  process  to  that  by  which 
his  ancestors  may  have  been  regenerated,  has  to  be  undergone  by 
each  before  he  can  become  a  true  follower  of  those  "who  through 
faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promises."  Hence,  in  contemplating 
the  history  of  the  Christian  church,  and  of  the  various  reformations 
which  have  from  time  to  time  been  attempted,  it  need  not  excite  our 
surprise,  whilst  it  is  striking  and  instructive,  to  notice  how  the  spiri- 
tual life  and  zeal  by  which  the  first  Christians  and  the  leaders  of 
those  reforms  were  actuated,  were  often  wanting  in  their  successors; 
and  how  strong  a  tendency  there  has  ever  been  to  seek  to  supply  this 
deficiency  by  something  obvious  and  gratifying  to  the  senses.  Ac- 
cordingly, whilst  we  find  no  trace  of  instrumental  music  in  the  wor- 
ship of  the  primitive  Christians,  it  began  to  find  admission  when  (he 
Church  had  lost  much  of  its  vitality.  Indeed,  it  may  well  excite 
our  suspicions  as  to  the  soundness  of  the  practice,  when  we  find  its 
first  introduction  attributed,  as  it  has  been  by  some,  to  Pope  Vitalian, 
who,  about  the  year  670,  is  said  to  have  "brought  the  organ  into 
Rome."*  It  is,  however,  stated  in  the  "Penny  Cyclopaedia,"  that 
the  earliest  account  to  be  relied  on  of  the  introduction  of  the  instru- 
ment into  the  west,  is  that  about  the  year  755  the  Greek  Emperor 
Copronymus  sent  one  as  a  present  to  Pepin,  King  of  France;  and 
that  in  the  time  of  Charlemagne,  in  the  following  century,  organs 
became  common  in  Europe.  The  same  article  states  that  in  England 
they  had  become  common  before  the  10th  century;  and  yet  we  find 
that  in  the  English  Convocation  held  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time 
(A.D.  1562)  "for  settling  th»  Liturgy,"  the  retaining  of  organs  was 
carried  only  by  a  casting  vote.f  It  would  appear,  indeed,  from  the 
following  quotations,  that  the  use  of  these  or  other  instruments  in 

.  *  "A  Mite  into  the  Treasury,"  bv  Thomas  Lawson;  pub.  1703.   j 
f  "Christian  Antiquities,"  by  Colemaa. 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP.  7 

worship  was  by  no  means  general  during  the  greater  part  of  the  pe- 
riod included  between  these  dates.  "Our  church,"  says  Thomas 
Aquinas,  (writing  probably  at  Paris  about  the  year  1250,)  "does  not 
use  musical  instruments,  as  harps  and  psalteries,  in  the  praise  of  God, 
lest  she  should  seem  to  Judaize."  *  Savonarola,  the  great  reformer 
of  Florence,  about  A.  D.  1494,  very  shortly  before  Luther  began  to 
oppose  the  sale  of  indulgences,  thus  includes  the  recent  introduction 
of  music  among  the  evidences  of  the  then  truly  degraded  condition 
of  the  church.  "No  one,"  says  he,  "teaches  the  Holy  Scriptures; 
since  that  light  has  been  extinguished  it  has  been  night.  Instead 
of  preaching  Christ,  they  offer  for  money  from  the  pulpit  a  mixture 
of  philosophy  and  Christianity,  or  one  hears  nothing  at  all  but  of 
Aristotle  and  Plato,  of  Cicero  and  Demosthenes,  and  other  heathens. 
They  hold  markets,  too,  in  the  churches;  and  to  disturb  even  the 
still  devotion  of  individuals,  the  Devil  has  begun  to  bring  into  opera- 
tion music  and  the  organ,  which  only  please  the  ear  and  edify  no- 
thing. In  the  ancient  polity  it  is  true,"  he  adds,  "  there  were  many 
festivals  with  songs,  trumpets,  a  tabernacle,  and  the  like,  but  these 
for  the  most  part  had  an  end  with  Christ."  f 

The  learned  Erasmus  wrote  in  a  similar  strain  against  the  use  of 
organs  in  churches,  observing  that  "people  flock  thereto  as  to  a 
theatre  or  stage,  that  their  ears  may  be  tickled  or  delighted."  J 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  practice  in  question  gradually  crept  into 
the  Church  between  the  7th  and  15th  centuries,  which,  it  will  be 
generally  admitted,  embrace  the  darkest  period  of  its  history— a  period 
when,  practical  piety  being  nearly  extinct,  it  had  become  the  fashion, 
in  imitation  partly  of  pagan  worship,  and  partly  of  the  Jewish  ritual, 
to  endeavour,  by  splendid  edifices  and  music,  by  showy  vestments, 
and  by  a  variety  of  imposing  ceremonies,  to  strike  the  senses  and 
obtain  the  admiration  and  support  of  the  unreflecting  masses  of  the 
community.  Very  much,  indeed,  in  proportion  to  the  decline  of 
spirituality  and  vital  godliness,  has  primitive  simplicity  ever  given 
way  to  external  show  and  to  self-pleasing  performances.  We  may 
trace  this  tendency,  variously  modified,  not  only  in  the  Romish  and 
Greek  churches,  but  also  in  those  of  the  Reformation,  including  some 
of  the  various  bodies  of  Nonconformists.  Hence  instrumental  music 
and  other  practices  which  were  discarded  by  the  early  Puritans  and 
the  founders  of  other  sects  as  inconsistent  with  Christian  simplicity, 
have  been  gradually  introduced  by  their  successors. 

This  practice,  however,  has  become  now  so  general,  and  withal,  so 
popular,  that  it  cannot  be  expected  that*sentiments  at  variance  with 
the  public  feeling  on  this  favourite  portion  of  the  "service"  will  find 

*  Colemon's  Apostolic  and  PrimitiTe  Church, 
•j-  Myers'  Lectures  on  Great  Men. 
j  Lawson's  Mite  into  the  Treasury.  't 


8  THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP. 

ready  acceptance;  yet  seeing  that  no  honest  mind  would  willingly 
cherish  self-deception  in  a  matter  of  such  importance,  it  may  be 
deemed  worth  while  to  spend  a  few  moments  in  some  further  exami- 
nation of  the  subject. 

It  is  contended  by  many  that  the  music  assists  devotion,  that  it 
solemnizes  and  softens  the  feelings,  and  thus  helps  man  to  perform 
true  worship.  Let  those  who  think  that  this  effect  is  produced,  care- 
fully analyze  their  feelings.  Does  the  music  really  help  them  to 
worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth?  Are  the  tears  shed  under 
that  influence,  really  the  product  of  a  broken  and  contrite  heart? 
Are  any  permanent  effects  produced,  or  do  these  feelings  evaporate 
with  the  cessation  of  the  solemn  sound?  Music  acts  powerfully  on 
the  passions,  often  producing  a  state  of  excitement  which  may  easily 
be  mistaken  for  devotion.  The  most  abandoned  characters — those 
who  are  most  addicted  to  sensual  indulgences,  are  often  very  suscep- 
tible of  the  sensations  thus  called  into  action  by  music.  Many  of 
the  lower  animals  are  also  frequently  affected  by  it.  Does  not  this 
go  far  to  prove  that  the  feelings  thus  excited  belong  rather  to  the 
lower  or  instinctive  faculties,  than  to  that  better  part  in  man  which 
is  destined  for  immortality?  Worship,  to  be  worth  any  thing,  must 
be  rational ;  "I  will  sing  with  the  spirit,"  says  the  Apostle  Paul,  and 
"I  will  sing  with  the  understanding  also."  Before  offering  praise, 
there  must  be  some  intelligent  sense  of  our  dependence  upon  God, 
and  a  grateful  appreciation  of  his  goodness.  It  will  hardly  be  as- 
serted that  these  indispensable  ingredients  in  worship  can  be  imparted 
by  merely  unsentient  sounds.  If  such  sentiments  are  at  any  time 
called  forth  by  music,  it  can  only  be  by  the  association  of  ideas.  The 
tune  may  bring  to  mind  the  words  of  the  hymn  which  it  represents; 
but  this  will  be  confined  to  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  hymn; 
or  it  may  remind  the  hearer  of  ideas  which  have  on  some  previous 
occasion  been  expressed  in  connexion  with  a  similar  tune;  but  with- 
out some  such  mental  association,  the  sound  would  convey  no  senti- 
ment to  the  mind,  and  consequently  no  real  worship  could  be  pro- 
duced by  it. 

Doubtless  the  music  and  singing  draw  many  to  a  place  of  worship 
who  would  not  otherwise  be  found  there,  and  perhaps  some  of  these 
may  be  occasionally  caught  in  the  Gospel  net.  Are  we  then  to  en- 
courage people  to  go  to  their  places  of  worship  just  as  they  would  to 
a  concert  or  other  musical  entertainment?  and  is  not  the  pandering 
to  such  a  disposition  calculated  to  encourage  it,  and  consequently  to 
produce  superficiality?  If  this  be  the  general  tendency  of  the  prac- 
tice, the  evil  will  far  outweigh  any  hypothetical  benefit  in  a  few  such 
isolated  cases. 

We  will  conclude  our  observations  on  this  subject  with  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  the  report  of  part  of  a  sermon  by  a  dignitary  of  the 
Church  of  England,  copied  from  a  weekly  paper,  dated  "February 
10th,  1858." 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP.  9 

"At  St.  Margaret's  Church,  Westminster,  Archdeacon  Sinclair 
preached  to  an  overflowing  congregation,  being  an  outlet  for  the  ex- 
cess of  attenders  on  the  services  commenced  in  Westminster  Abbey 
for  the  working  classes. 

"In  conclusion,  the  Archdeacon  gave  his  opinion  that  to  be  criti- 
cising architecture,  admiring  pictures,  and  listening  with  approbation 
to  instrumental  and  vocal  music,  while  the  professed  object  of  the 
meeting  was  to  obtain  forgiveness  of  sins  and  the  blessing  of  the  Al- 
mighty, was  to  say  the  least  of  it — very  nearly  allied  to  profaneness." 

On  a  careful  examination  of  the  New  Testament,  there  does  not 
appear  any  evidence  that  congregational  singing  as  now  practised, 
obtained  among  the  first  Christians.  We  do  indeed  find  it  stated  by 
Matthew  and  Mark,  that  the  disciples,  having  partaken  with  their 
Lord  and  Master  of  the  Last  Supper,  "after  they  had  sung  a  hymn, 
went  out  to  the  Mount  of  Olives  j"  but  this  was  before  the  old  dis- 
pensation was  completely  done  away,  and  was  in  compliance  with  the 
ordinary  custom  of  the  Jews,  who,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  Paschal 
supper,  usually  sang  or  recited  a  psalm. 

In  the  book  of  Acts,  we  are  informed  that  Paul  and  Silas  in  the 
prison,  "prayed  and  sang  praises  to  God." 

In  Eph.  v.  19,  we  find  this  passage,  "  Speaking  to  yourselves  in 
psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  siuging  and  making  melody 
in  your  heart "*o  the  Lord;"  and  in  Col.  iii.  16,  "Let  the  word  of 
Christ  dwell  in  you  riakly  in  all  wisdom,  teaching  and  admonishing 
one  another  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  singing  with 
grace  in  your  hearts  to  the  Lord."  In  these  passages  the  Apostle 
is  giving  counsel  to  the  believers  respecting  their  general  conduct, 
not  with  special  reference  to  public  worship. 

In  1st  Cor.  xiv.,  the  same  great  Apostle  does  give  some  directions 
relative  to  the  orderly  conducting  of  their  assemblies,  from  which  we 
may  infer  that  the  exercise  of  spiritual  gifts  was  by  no  means  re- 
stricted to  one  individual  of  a  congregation,  and  that  it  was  not  un- 
common for  a  believer,  whose  heart  was  touched  with  a  lively  sense 
of  the  Lord's  goodness,  to  give  harmonious  utterance  to  his  feelings 
singfy;  and  the  Apostle  was  anxious  that  he  should  doit  intelligibly 
and  to  general  edification — v.  15,  "I  will  sing  with  the  spirit,  and  I 
will  sing  with  the  understanding  also.  Else  when  thou  shalt  bless 
(or  give  thanks)  with  the  spirit,  how  shall  he  who  occupieth  the 
place  of  the  unlearned  say,  'Amen'  at  thy  giving  of  thanks?  for  he 
knoweth  not  what  thou  sayest.  For  thou  verily  givest  thanks  well, 
but  the  other  is  not  edified."  Agaiifin  v.  26,  "How  is  it,  brethren? 
when  ye  come  together  every  one  of  you  hath  a  psalm,  hath  a  doc- 
trine, &c.  Let  all  things  be  done  to  edifying."  Let  us,  in  passing, 
compare  these  passages  with  the  usual  mode  of  conducting  public 
psalmody,  in  which  the  music,  rather  than  the  sentiment,  appears  to 
be  the  object.  So  completely,  indeed,  is  the  sense  often  lost  in  the 


10  THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP, 

sound,  that  for  "  the  unlearned" — those  previously  unacquainted  with 
the  hymn,  or  not  happening  to  catch  the  words  when  first  "given 
out,"  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  understand  the  meaning. 

In  several  parts  of  the  book  of  Revelation,  we  are  informed  that 
the  Apostle  John  was  permitted  to  behold  the  spirits  of  the  sanctified 
who  surrounded  the  throne — that  "they  had  harps  in  their  hands" 
— that  "they  sang  a  new  song" — "the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb," 
&c. — and  let  us  mark  that  uno  one  could  learn  that  song  but  those 
who  are  redeemed  from  the  earth." 

The  above  appear  to  be  the  only  places  in  the  New  Testament  in 
which  the  practice  of  singing  in  connexion  with  worship  is  referred 
to,  and  in  none  of  them  do  we  find  any  thing  analogous  to  the  pre- 
sent custom  of  giving  out  a  hymn,  and  calling  upon  a  congregation 
to  join  in  it;  much  less  any  warrant  for  the  employment  of  children 
who  do  not  understand  what  they  are  saying,  or  of  paid  public  sing- 
ers, many  of  whom  make  no  pretensions  to  the  religious  character. 

How  then  did  the  present  practice  originate?  If  we  consult  the 
history  of  the  Church  since  the  time  of  the  Apostles,  we  find  little  if 
any  evidence  of  it  during  the  first  two  or  three  centuries.  In  "Cole- 
man's  Antiquities  of  the  Christian  Church,"  it  is  stated  as  "worthy 
of  remark  that  the  earliest  Christian  Fathers  make  no  mention  of 
psalms  and  hymns  as  a  part  of  religious  worship."  The  first  allusion 
we  find  to  the  subject  is  in  the  celebrated  letter  of  Pliny  to  the  Em- 
peror Trajan,  written  in  the  early  part  of  the  second  century,  in  which 
he  says  it  was  the  practice  of  the  Christians  "  to  rise  on  a  certain 
stated  day,  before  daylight,  and  l>y  turns,  or  one  after  another,  (?'«- 
vicem,')  to  repeat  a  hymn  to  Christ  as  to  a  God;"  which  seems  nearly 
to  correspond  with  the  passage  in  the  1st  Cor.  already  quoted. 

Justin  Martyr,  who  died  in  the  year  165,  says:  "  We  manifest  our 
gratitude  to  Him  by  worshipping  Him  in  spiritual  songs  and  hymns, 
praising  Him  for  our  birth,  for  the  vicissitudes  of  the  seasons,  and 
for  the  hopes  of  immortality."* 

Origen,  who  flourished  in  the  first  half  of  the  third  century,  thus 
alludes  to  the  practice:  "We,"  says  he,  "sing  hymns  to  God  who 
is  over  all,  and  to  his  only  begotten  Son,  the  Word  of  God." 

In  these  passages  there  is  still  no  evidence  of  the  introduction  of 
any  thing  resembling  the  present  artificial  system  of  conducting  pub- 
lic psalmody. 

Cassiodorus,  writing  about  the  year  510,  says  that  the  Fathers  made 
no  great  account  of  singing  in  churches,  and  that  "  most  of  them 
knew  nothing  thereof;  for  in  the  days  of  Athanasius,  Bishop  of  Alex- 
andria, about  A.  D.  848,  Flavian  and  Theodore,  first  of  all  in  the 
East,  brought  in  the  rite  or  custom  of  singing  at  Antioch."f 


*  Colcman's  Apostolic  and  Primitive  Church, 
f  Lawson's  Mite  into  the  Treasury. 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP.  11 

In  harmony  with  this  statement,  its  introduction  into  th/>  Western 
Churches  is  thus  related  by  Augustin  in  his  "  Confessions."  Jus- 
tina,  mother  of  the  Emperor  Valentinian,  who  was  then  a  child, 
having  embraced  the  Arian  heresy,  was  induced  to  persecute  Am- 
brose, who  was  at  that  time  bishop  of  Milan.  "  The  devout  people," 
says  he,  "kept  watch  in  the  church,  ready  to  die  with  their  bishop. 
Then  it  was  first  instituted  after  the  manner  of  the  Eastern  Churches, 
that  hymns  and  psalms  should  be  sung,  lest  the  people  should  wax 
faint  through  the  tediousness  of  sorrow;  and  from  that  day  to  this, 
the  custom  is  retained — divers,  yea,  almost  all  congregations  through- 
out other  parts  of  the  world  following  herein."  This  was  about  the 
year  880. 

The  practice  in  fact  appears  to  have  been  gradually  gaining  ground 
since  the  time  of  the  Apostles  until  this  period,  so  that  it  had  al- 
ready become  the  subject  of  ecclesiastical  regulations  in  the  East. 
For  we  find  that  by  the  Council  of  Laodicea,  (A.  D.  361,)  "this  part 
of  public  worship  was  restricted  to  a  distinct  order  in  the  church, 
styled  by  them  canonical  singers;  and  that  "  these  went  up  into  the 
singers'  seats  and  sang  from  a  book."* 

Here  let  us  pause  for  a  moment  to  look  at  the  state  of  the  church 
at  this  period.  Mosheim  says  of  it,  "  No  sooner  had  Constantine  re- 
nounced the  religion  of  his  ancestors,  than  magnificent  temples  were 
every  where  erected,  which  were  adorned  with  pictures  and  images; 
and  which,  both  in  their  external  and  internal  form,  were  very  simi- 
lar to  the  fanes  and  temples  of  their  gods.  Whilst  the  fostering  care 
of  the  Emperors  sought  to  advance  the  Christian  religion,  the  indis- 
creet piety  of  the  bishops  obstructed  its  true  nature,  and  oppressed 
its  energies  by  the  multiplication  of  rites  and  ceremonies."  There 
was  little  difference  in  these  times  between  the  public  worship  of  the 
Christians  and  that  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  (idolaters.)  In  both 
alike  there  were  splendid  robes,  mitres,  tiaras,  wax  tapers,  crosiers, 
processions,  images,  and  innumerable  other  things.  Genuine  piety 
was  supplanted  by  a  long  train  of  superstitious  observances,  which 
were  derived  partly  from  opinions  inconsiderately  embraced,  partly 
from  a  preposterous  disposition  to  adopt  profane  rites  and  to  combine 
them  with  Christian  worship,  and  partly  from  the  natural  predilec- 
tion of  mankind  in  general  for  a  splendid  and  ostentatious  religion." 
Pilgrimages  to  Palestine,  and  to  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs,  whom  they 
had  begun  to  worship,  the  sale  of  portions  of  earth  brought  from 
thence  as  a  protection  against  evil  spirits,  prayers  for  the  repose  of 
the  souls  of  the  departed,  &c.,  are  also  recorded  among  the  evidences 
of  the  lamentable  declension  that  had  already  taken  place,  when  this 
mode  of  singing  was  thus  formally  established. 

In  England  this  practice  does  not  appear  to  have  been  introduced 

*  Colcman's  Antiquities. 


12  THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  VYOKSU1P. 

till  about  the  end  of  the  7th  century,  when  the  Abbot  Benedict, 
founder  of  the  monasteries  of  Monkwearmouth  and  Jarrow,  who,  in 
his  zeal  for  the  introduction  into  ecclesiastical  buildings,  of  pictures 
and  many  other  ornamental  appendages,  made  several  journeys  to 
Rome,  on  one  occasion  brought  back  with  him  "  one  John,  the  arch- 
chanter,  who  fii'st  taught  in  England  how  to  sing  in  the  choir  after 
the  manner  of  Home."* 

It  may,  however,  be  admitted  that  the  mere  absence  of  New  Tes- 
tament evidence,  or  of  example  in  the  early  Christians,  does  not  ne- 
cessarily condemn  the  present  practice  of  congregational  singing. 
The  great  question  after  all  must  be,  "  Is  it  from  the  abundance  of 
the  heart  that  the  mouth  speaks?"  Is  it  from  a  real  sense  of  the 
suitability  of  the  words  to  our  individual  condition,  and  of  the  reve- 
rence due  to  that  great  Being  whom  we  are  thus  presuming  to  ad- 
dress ?  If  this  be  not  the  case,  will  the  expressions  used  be  regarded 
as  worship  in  truth  by  Him  who  searches  the  heart?  Is  there  not 
also  great  danger  that  language  thus  offered  to  the  Almighty,  with- 
out due  consideration,  and  not  always  truthfully  as  to  the  state  of  the 
worshipper,  may  foster  not  only  superficiality  and  insincerity  in  reli- 
gion, but  also  a  disregard  to  the  truth  in  evcry-day  life?  For  if  we 
venture  to  address  the  great  Searcher  of  hearts  in  language  not  strictly 
true,  is  it  likely  that  we  shall  be  very  particular  in  adhering  to  the 
truth  in  our  intercourse  with  our  fellow  men  ?  and  is  it  not  almost  un- 
avoidable that  the  offering  up  of  hymns  in  worship,  according  to  pre- 
vious arrangement,  and  without  reference  to  the  conditions  of  the 
persons  using  them,  should,  by  frequent  repetition,  become  a  mere 
habit,  naturally  producing  want  of  consideration,  and  consequently, 
superficiality?  May  we  not  solemnly  appeal  to  the  consciences  of 
many,  even  of  the  sincere  hearted,  who,  on  reflection,  will  be  bound 
to  acknowledge  that  this  effect  has  been  produced — that  while,  from 
the  force  of  habit,  their  lips  and  their  voices  have  joined  in  the  song 
of  praise;  their  thoughts  have  been  far  away  from  the  subject  of  the 
hymn?  Moreover,  does  not  the  practice  in  question  hold 'out  a  posi- 
tive temptation  to  insincerity  in  religious  expression  ?  When  a  hymn 
is  given  out,  if  those  who  usually  take  part  in  the  singing  were  not 
to  join  in  it,  their  abstinence  would  be  marked — it  might  be  miscon- 
strued; and  when  they  know  that  the  language  does  not  speak  their 
feelings,  it  requires  an  amount  of  Christian  courage,  as  well  as  of  con- 
scientiousness, which  all  do  not  equally  possess,  to  act  in  accordance 
with  their  inmost  convictions;  and,  therefore,  rather  than  appeal- 
singular,  and  have  their  motives  misunderstood,  some  may  be  tempted 
to  join  in  uttering  what  they  do  not  feel,  or  it  may  even  be  what  as 
regards  themselves  is  untrue. 


*  A.  Beckett's  Universal  Biography.     Catkins'  Biographical  Dictionary. 
Lawson's  Mite  into  the  Treasury. 


THOUGHTS  ON  CUKISTIAN  WORSHIP.  13 

Some  of  the  foregoing  observations  are  equally  applicable  to  the 
use  of  stated  forms  and  times  of  prayer.  It  is  possible  indeed,  in 
this,  as  well  as  in  singing,  that  the  language  may  be  truly  expressive 
of  the  feelings  of  some  of  the  individuals  composing  a  congregation; 
but  who  can  say  beforehand  what  his  feelings  may  be  at  a  given 
time?  or  can  any  one,  when  the  time  arrives,  always  command  his 
feelings  into  accordance  with  the  form  used,  whatever  it  may  happen 
to  be?  It  is  also  possible  that  the  words  may  be  so  chosen  as  to  be 
applicable  to  all  the  members  of  a  congregation  at  any  time;  but  still 
the  use  of  the  form  does  not  impart  the  spirit  of  prayer,  or  the  real 
sense  of  our  wants.  It  may  indeed  remind  us  of  them,  and  thus 
perhaps  be  occasionally  instrumental  in  quickening  our  desires;  but 
unless  this  be  the  case — unless  the  heart  goes  along  with  it,  the  re- 
petition of  the  form,  however  truly  it  may  describe  our  condition, 
becomes  an  untruth  in  our  lips;  it  is  saying  in  effect  "we  pray,"  when 
no  desire  is  felt,  when  in  fact  we  do  not  pray.  "When  ye  pray," 
said  our  Saviour,  "use  not  vain  repetitions  as  the  heathen  do, 
for  they  think  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking."  Are 
not  forms  of  prayer,  thus  repeated  without  a  sense  of  the  want  of  that 
for  which  we  ask,  very  much  like  "vain  repetitions?"  They  are 
certainly  not  true  worship,  nor  favourable  to  sincerity  of  character. 

Stated  forms  of  prayer  do  not  appear  to  have  been  used  by  the 
early  Christians.  "Even  the  Lord's  Prayer,"  says  Coleman,  "was 
not  in  use  in  the  church  in  the  age  of  the  Apostles.  Not  the  re- 
motest hint  is  given  in  the  history  of  the  Apostles  that  this  prayer 
constituted  any  part  of  their  worship."  Lord  Chancellor  King  says, 
"As  to  these  prescribed  forms,  there  is  not  the  least  mention  of  them 
in  any  of  the  primitive  writings,  nor  the  least  word  or  syllable  tending 
thereunto,  that  I  can  find,  which  is  a  most  unaccountable  silence  if 
ever  such  there  were.  Tertullian,  describing  their  public  prayers, 
says  that  looking  up  to  Heaven,  they  spread  abroad  their  hands  be- 
cause innocent,  uncovered  their  heads  because  not  ashamed,  and 
without  a  monitor,  because  they  prayed  from  the  heart.  "Now  the 
praying  by  a  monitor,"  continues  Lord  King,  'as  is  acknowledged 
by  all,  was  praying  by  a  book/  but  thus  Tertullian  affirms  the  primi- 
tive Christians  prayed  not.  'We  do  not  pray,'  says  he,  'with  a  mo- 
nitor, reading  our  prayers  out  of  a  book;  no!  but  on  the  contrary 
we  pray  depectore — from  the  heart — our  own  heart  and  soul  dictating 
to  us  what  is  most  suitable  and  proper  to  be  asked.'"* 

But  that  which  has  perhaps  the  greatest  influence  in  filling  places 
of  worship,  is  the  desire  to  hear  the  sermon.  If  the  preacher  be  elo- 
quent, he  soon  becomes  popular;  and  the  multitudes  throng  to  hear 
him.  Is  it  then  a  part  of  worship  to  listen  to  the  minister?  This 
question  may  be  answered  by  another — what  is  the  condition  of  tho 


*  Coleman's  Antiquities. 


14  THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP. 

listener's  mind?  If  his  object  be  to  gratify  his  curiosity,  or  to  enjoy 
the  intellectual  feast  afforded  by  the-eloquence  of  the  minister,  what 
is  it  but  self-gratification?  and  does  not  such  an  one  belong  to  the 
class  thus  prophetically  referred  to  by  the  Apostle  Paul  as  indicative 
of  the  approaching  degeneracy?  "The  time  shall  come  when  they 
shall  not  endure  sound  doctrine,  but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  they 
heap  to  themselves  teachers,  having  itching  ears."  Again,  if  the 
preacher  be  heard  by  us  in  this  disposition,  does  it  not  in  his  relation 
to  us,  deprive  him  of  the  character  of  a  minister  of  Christ?  If,  in- 
stead of  regarding  him  as  an  ambassador  of  Christ,  as  though  God 
was  beseeching  us  by  him,  we  look  upon  the  sermon  merely  as  the 
product  of  the  minister's  brain,  and  as  a  proof  of  intellectual  power, 
the  man  is  admired,  if  not  idolized,  and  the  real  object  of  worship 
very  much  lost  sight  of. 

Is prcadiing  then  an  act  of  worship?  Here  again  the  question 
depends  on  the  springs  of  action.  What  are  the  motives  by  which 
the  speaker  is  influenced?  If  the  object  be  a  pecuniary  one, — 
if  the  profession  be  followed  primarily  as  a  means  of  obtaining  a 
livelihood,  it  is  evidently  self-service — converting  the  sacred  office  of 
a  minister  of  the  Gospel  into  a  trade,  and  inflicting  incalculable  in- 
jury on  the  cause  of  Christ.  If  the  sermon  be  merely  an  intellectual 
effort,  gratifying  both  preacher  and  hearer  with  the  result  of  hard 
study,  mixed  up  on  the  part  of  the  former  with  the  love  of  display, 
and  the  desire  to  gain  popularity,  is  it  any  thing  better  than  self- 
worship?  Does  it  correspond  with  the  example  of  the  Apostles,  of 
whom  Paul  said,  "We  preach  not  ourselves,"  or  with  his  declaration 
that  his  "speech  and  his  preaching  was  not  with  enticing  words  of 
man's  wisdom?"  This  kind  of  preaching  often  seems  calculated  to 
set  the  head  on  thinking,  rather  than  the  heart  on  worshipping,  and 
thus  may  divert  the  attention  even  of  the  sincere  from  the  proper 
object. 

The  following  extract  from  the  Memoir  of  Dr.  Judson,  [p.  308,] 
may  be  appropriately  introduced  here  by  way  of  elucidation.  "He 
used  frequently  to  speak,"  says  his  biographer,  "of  the  tendency  of 
cultivated  people  to  visit  the  house  of  God  in  search  of  intellectual 
gratification,  rather  than  for  the  purpose  of  worship  or  the  promotion  of 
their  spiritual  good,  and  mentioned  it  as  the  most  dangerous  snare 
in  the  path  of  the  rising  ministry.  When  once  asked  in  private  how 
he  liked  a  sermon  that  had  been  eliciting  warm  praises  from  a  parlour 
circle,  he  answered,  'It  was  very  ele'gant — every  word  was  chosen 
with  care  and  taste,  and  many  of  the  thoughts  were  exceedingly  beau- 
tiful.  It  delighted  my  ears  so  much  that  I  quite  forgot  I  had  a 
heart,  and  I  am  afraid  all  the  other  hearers  did  the  same. ' ' 

We  shall  hardly  do  justice  to  this  branch  of  our  subject  without 
adverting  to  the  almost  universal  practice  of  confining  the  public  ex- 
ercise of  spiritual  gifts  to  one  individual  of  a  congregation — a  practice 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP.  15 

which  has  been  already  hinted  at  as  unscriptural.  Although  to  dis- 
cuss this  important  question  at  large  would  not  couie  within  our 
range,  it  appears  proper  to  look  at  it  for  a  few  moments  in  its  bearing 
on  the  subject  before  us,  in  connexion  with  a  custom  equally  uni- 
versal and  equally  unauthorized  by  the  New  Testament — that  of  fix- 
ing beforehand  what  particular  act  of  worship  a  congregation  shall 
perform  at  a  given  hour. 

How,  then,  stands  the  matter?  The  minister,  however  pure  his 
motives,  has  engaged  directly  or  indirectly  for  a  pecuniary  consider- 
ation, to  preach  at  certain  times  to  the  congregation,  and  to  conduct 
the  other  religious  exercises.  In  fulfilment  of  this  engagement,  he 
feels  himself  morally  bound,  whatever  his  state  of  mind  may  happen 
to  be,  to  preach,  pray,  or  sing,  on  those  occasions.  This  offers  a 
strong  inducement  to  him  to  engage  at  times  in  those  solemn  ex- 
ercises even  in  the  absence  of  that  feeling  which  he  cannot  always 
command,  and  without  which,  they  are  empty  or  worse  than  empty 
words — a  temptation  which,  if  yielded  to,  can  hardly  fail  to  be  in- 
jurious to  the  moral  sense  of  the  preacher. 

The  congregation,  on  the  other  hand,  naturally  expect  the  punc- 
tual performance  of  the  duties  which  the  minister  has  undertaken, 
and  rely  on  him  to  conduct  the  worship  for  them.  Instead  of  seek- 
ing to  realize  for  themselves  the  presence  and  help  of  Him  who  is 
"the  Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  profession" — the  appointed 
Mediator,  through  whom  alone  every  individual  soul  must  know  ac- 
cess for  himself  to  the  Father — they  are  in  danger  of  too  much  re- 
garding the  minister  as  their  Priest — their  medium  of  communication 
with  the  Divine  Being.  Their  responsibility  is  thus,  to  a  certain 
extent,  transferred  from  themselves  to  the  minister — the  individual 
whose  business  it  is  to  look  after  their  spiritual  interests — their  own 
engagements  being  of  a  secular  character;  and  the  idea  that  it  is  pos- 
sible that  they  themselves  might  become  the  recipients  of  spiritual 
gifts,  perhaps  never  enters  their  minds;  or  if  it  should  enter,  the 
difficulty  would  at  once  occur,  that  according  to  present  arrangements 
there  is  no  opportunity  for  their  exercise.  Thus,  an  individual  might 
feel  his  henrt  warmed  with  strong  desires  for  the  welfare  of  his  fel- 
low professors — some  particular  subject  might  be  impressed  on  his 
mind  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  applicable  to  their  condition,  and  he 
might  feel  it  his  duty  to  express  that  which  was  thus  presented;  but 
he  cannot  obey  the  requisition,  because  it  would  be  deemed  out  of 
order,  or  would  interfere  with  the  fixed  routine  of  the  service.  He 
thus  misses  the  comfort  of  that  inward  satisfaction  and  peace  of  mind 
which  result  from  obedience  to  manifested  duty;  his  worship  is  in- 
complete, his  gift  is  quenched,  and  probably  his  spiritual  growth  re- 
tarded. The  assembled  worshippers  on  the  other  hand,  are  deprived 
of  a  portion  of  instruction  which,  under  the  Spirit's  influence,  would 
haye  tended  to  their  edification,  and  lose,  perhaps  for  ever,  the  set- 


16  THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP. 

vices  of  one  of  those  labourers  in  the  Lord's  harvest  for  the  increase 
of  whom  we  are  charged  to  pray. 

Before  proceeding  to  submit  his  own  views  of  the  nature  of  Divine 
worship,  the  writer  would  here  disclaim  all  intention  of  passing  in- 
discriminate censure  upon  either  preachers  or  hearers  of  any  denomi- 
nation. On  the  contrary,  he  can  rejoice  in  the  belief  that  there  are 
many  earnest  ministers  both  amongst  the  humble  and  obscure,  and 
amongst  those  who  are  more  prominent,  who  are  exercising  their 
calling  in  integrity  of  heart,  and  on  whose  labours  the  Divine  bless- 
ing has  rested;  and  that  amongst  their  hearers  there  are  not  a  few 
who,  in  their  exemplary  lives  and  conversations,  are  giving  evidence 
of  the  truth  and  reality  of  their  religion.  It  is  in  the  earnest  desire 
that  this  number  may  be  greatly  multiplied  in  every  section  of  the 
Christian  church,  that  he  has  ventured  to  point  out  some  of  those 
things  which,  in  his  estimation,  are  calculated  to  hinder  so  desirable 
a  result. 

What  then  is  Divine  worship?  It  is  evident  that  it  must  in  the 
first  place  include  a  belief  in  the  existence  of  an  Almighty  and  Om- 
niscient, although  invisible  Being,  who  rules  the  universe,  who  super- 
intends all-our  actions,  and  to  whom  we  are  accountable.  It  implies 
also  a  reverential  sense  of  His  greatness  and  majesty,  and  of  our  in- 
dividual dependence  upon  Him,  and  consequently — which  is  more 
strictly  the  act  of  worship — with  this  impression  on  our  minds,  we 
tender  Him  our  submission,  obedience,  and  adoration,  as  our  right- 
ful Lord  and  Master.  The  communion  with  our  Heavenly  Father, 
which  this  act  includes,  is  the  highest  privilege  that  can  be  enjoyed 
by  man.  It  is  not  to  be  limited  to  time  or  place,  nor  to  be  circum- 
scribed by  forms,  nor  to  be  directed  by  ecclesiastical  regulations.  It 
is  the  spontaneous  outpouring  of  a  dependent  being  under  the  present 
sense  of  its  indebtedness  or  its  necessities.  It  is  an  act  in  which  the 
soul  is  permitted,  through  Him  who  is  the  High  Priest  of  our  pro- 
fession, to  enter,  as  it  were,  into  the  Sanctuary,  and  "to  pour  forth 
its  wants,  wishes,  hopes,  fears,  guilt,  or  pleasures,  into  the  bosom  of 
an  Almighty  Friend/' 

In  our  Saviour's  well-known  conversation  with  the  woman  of  Sa- 
maria at  Jacob's  well,  she  thus  addressed  Him.  "Our  fathers  wor- 
shipped in  this  mountain,  but  ye  say  that  in  Jerusalem  is  the  place 
where  men  ought  to  worship."  To  which  He  condescended  to  reply, 
"Woman,  believe  me — the  hour  cometh  when  ye  shall  neither  in 
this  mountain  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem  worship  the  Father."  Neither 
in  this  place  nor  that  exclusively  or  pre-eminently — but  where?  "In 
spirit  and  in  truth;" — language  that  we  are  apt  to  apply  far  too  ex- 
clusively to  public  worship,  but  which  has  a  much  wider  and  more 
comprehensive  signification.  The  temple  worship  at  Jerusalem  was 
about  to  be  abolished — the  worship  under  the  Christian  dispensation 
is  to  be  in  spirit.  The  spirit  of  man  is  to  be  brought  into  true  subjec- 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP.  17 

tion  and  obedience;  and  the  distinct  act  of  worship,  whether  it  be 
the  first  ejaculation  of  the  returning  prodigal,  or  the  thanksgiving  of 
the  experienced  Christian,  whether  it  be-  in  public  or  in  private, 
whether  uttered  in  words  or  silently  conceived  in  the  heart,  is  but 
the  natural  or  spontaneous  expression  of  a  spirit  thus,  for  the  time 
at  least,  subjected.  The  true  worship,  in  short,  is  that  of  the  inner 
man ;  and  wherever  it  exists,  it  will  be  evinced  in  conduct  as  well  as 
in  words.*  It  will  consist  more  in  private  communion  with  the 
Father  of  spirits  than  in  public  display.  Its  object  is  not  to  be  seen 
of  men.  The  Christian  worshipper,  conscious  that  the  root  of  evil  is 
within,  will  seek  to  have  his  very  thoughts  brought  "into  captivity 
to  the  obedience  of  Christ."  His  daily  life  is  a  life  of  worship.  In 
his  outward  engagements  and  pursuits  he  has  the  fear  of  God  before 
his  eyes,  and  his  desire  is  to  make  His  law  the  rule  of  his  actions. 
Weak  and  faltering  though  he  be,  again  and  again  though  he  have 
occasion  to  repair  to  the  "fountain  set  open  for  sin  and  for  unclean- 
ness,"  the  love  of  his  Heavenly  Father  is  nevertheless  so  implanted 
in  him;  that  the  language  of  his  inmost  soul  is  "Thy  will  be  done," 
than  which  there  can  be  no  fitter  or  more  comprehensive  expression 
of  real  worship.  Such  a  man  is  one  of  those  whom  the  Father  is 
seeking  to  worship  Him,  to  whatever  denomination  of  Christians  he 
may  belong.  Conscious  of  his  own  frailty  and  liability  to  err,  he  will 
ever  greatly  prize  those  means  of  instruction  and  of  help,  which  are 
afforded  by  the  ministry  of  the  Word  and  by  the  union  of  kindred 
spirits  in  worshipping  their  common  Lord.  Let  us  then  follow  such 
an  one  to  his  place  of  worship,  and  see  what  course  he  will  pursue 
there.  Although  living  daily  in  the  spirit  of  worship — i.  e.  of  true 
subjection  to  his  heavenly  Father,  his  feelings  are  not  always  alike 
devotional.  There  are  seasons  when  his  transgressions  or  his  un- 
watchfulness  may  have  produced  a  temporary  coldness  and  deadness 
of  spirit,  or  when  similar  feelings,  or  rather  want  of  feeling,  may  be 
permitted  to  come  over  him  for  the  trial  of  his  faith  and  for  his  hu- 
miliation— something,  like  "  the  sentence  of  death  in  himself  that 
he  should  not  trust  in  himself,  but  in  Christ  who  raiseth  the  dead." 
He  is  thus  taught  that  he  cannot  give  himself  the  spirit  of  prayer  or 
praise — that  he  knows  not  what  he  should  pray  for  as  he  ought,  but 
as  the  "  Spirit  helps  his  infirmities," — in  short  "that  the  preparation 
of  the  heart  in  man,  as  well  as  the  answer  of  the  tongue,  is  from  the 

*  Neander,  in  vol.  1,  p.  399  of  his  Church  History  (Bohn's  edition,)  observes 
thnt,  "That  which  constituted  the  peculiar  character  of  Christian  worship, 
and  which  distinguished  it  from  every  other  kind  of  religious  worship,  was 
the  fundamental  conception  from  which  the  whole  character  of  the  Christian 
life  originally  took  its  shape — the  idea  of  the  universal  priesthood  of  Chris- 
tians— of  a  worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth — confined  to  no  special  time  or 
place  and  to  no  particular  class  of  actions,  but  embracing  alike  every  action 
of  the  whole  life." 


18  THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP. 

Lord."  If,  therefore,  he  be  called  upon  to  engage  in  singing,  in- 
stead of  thoughtlessly  complying,  he  will  first  consider  whether  he 
can  conscientiously,  and  from  his  heart  adopt  the  language  as  his 
own;  if  in  vocal  prayer,  he  will  also  thus  reflect  before  eutering  upon 
it  or  even  joining  in  the  "Amen;"  and  if  he  cannot  truthfully  com- 
ply, can  we  not  believe  that  the  conscientious  silence  of  such  an  one 
may  have  more  of  true  worship  in  it,  than  the  prayer  or  praise  of 
many  who  are  very  ready  to  "honour  the  Lord  with  their  lips?" 

But  when  the  humbled  follower  of  a  crucified  Saviour  is  thus 
obliged  as  it  were  to  "put  his  mouth  in  the  dust,"  he  may  take  com- 
fort in  the  recollection  that  there  are  "  groanings  that  cannot  be 
uttered" — that  "He  who  searches  the  heart,  knows  what  is  the  mind 
of  the  Spirit,"  whether  expressed  or  not,  and  that  his  heavenly  Father 
knows  what  he  has  need  of,  before  he  asks  him.  In  this  state  of 
humiliation,  there  may  indeed  be  quite  as  much  of  genuine  worship, 
as  in  that  more  gratifying  condition  of  mind  which  may  be  described 
as  the  fervour  of  devotion;  a  condition  which  the  Christian  disciple 
very  naturally  desires,  and  the  want  of  which  often  needlessly  casts 
him  down.  It  is  instructive  to  remember  that,  during  the  whole  of 
our  Lord's  tarriance  upon  earth,  it  was  only  once  that  his  disciples 
were  called  to  sing  "Hosanna,"  and  that  but  three  of  them  were 
permitted  to  witness  his  transfiguration  in  the  holy  mount 

That  was  no  merely  speculative  doctrine,  but  an  enduring  and 
most  blessed  reality,  which  was  set  forth  by  our  Saviour  when  he 
said,  "  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there 
AM  I  in  the  midst  of  them."  This  is  not  a  mere  promise,  bat  the 
announcement  of  a  fact,  and  to  realize  it  ought  to  be  the  primary 
object  of  the  Christian  worshipper.  Equally  true  is  his  declaration, 
"  Without  Me  ye  can  do  nothing/'  Endeavouring,  therefore,  to  ab- 
stract his  mind  from  outward  objects,  the  language  of  his  heart  should 
be  "  My  soul,  wait  thou  only  upon  God !  for  my  expectation  is  from 
Him."  On  this  engagement  of  mind,  the  divine  blessing  will  as- 
suredly rest,  though  he  may  not  always  be  aware  of  it.  If  at  such 
times,  portions  of  Holy  Scripture  be  remembered  with  instruction 
and  comfort,  or  if  he  be  led  into  self-examination  as  in  the  presence 
of  the  Searcher  of  hearts,  or  if  he  be  made  inwardly  conscious  of  his 
sins  and  short-comings,  and  induced  to  sue  for  pardon,  or  if  his  heart 
be  filled  with  love  and  joy  under  a  sense  of  the  Lord's  goodness,  or 
if  he  be  tiaerely  humbled  under  the  feeling  of  his  own  helplessness 
and  insensibility — whether  these  effects  be  produced  through  the 
preaching  of  the  word  or  from  impressions  made  on  the  mind  with- 
out any  outward  instrumentality,  they  are  not  the  product  of  our 
fallen  nature,  but  of  the  infinitely  varied  operations  of  the  "  quicken- 
ing Spirit."  They  are  equally  proofs  of  the  presence  of  Him,  who 
in  an  unexpected  moment,  appeared  in  the  midst  of  his  disciples — 
"the  doors  being  shut" — who  joined  himself  to  two  of  them  on  their 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP.  19 

journey  to  Euimaus,  when,  whilst  eagerly  listening  to  his  discourse, 
they  were  unconscious  that  it  was  He  who  was  thus  opening  their 
understandings  to  understand  the  Scriptures,  and  who  now,  in  his 
spiritual  and  omnipresent  character,  manifests  himself  as  the  mi- 
nister of  the  inner  sanctuary  of  the  heart,  ministering  to  every  one  ac- 
cording to  his  need. 

Thus,  while  the  Christian  will  not  venture  to  use  words  of  prayer 
or  praise  in  worship  when  his  heart  does  not  prompt  them,  and  though 
he  cannot  give  himself  a  praying  disposition,  there  will  be  times 
often  recurring — whether  it  be  in  the  public  assembly  or  in  his  pri- 
vate devotions — when  by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  is  made 
so  distinctly  to  feel  his  wants,  as  to  be  able  from  a  full  heart  to  pour 
out  mentally  or  vocally  his  petitions  for  preservation  from  the  tempta- 
tions by  which  he  is  assailed  from  within  or  from  without — for  par- 
don for  his  past  transgressions — for  deliverance  from  the  power  and 
bondage  of  sin — for  his  family,  his  friends,  the  Church,  or  the  world 
at  large.  The  Spirit  thus  helps  his  infirmities;  and  we  cannot  doubt 
that  prayers  so  quickened  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  and  offered  up 
virtually,  if  not  verbally,  in  His  name,  are  acceptable  worship — 
prayers  that,  being  made  according  to  the  will  of  God,  win  assured- 
ly be  heard  and  answered.* 

Again,  there  are  times  when  the  disciple  of  Christ  is  made,  by  the 
influence  of  the  same  "quickening  Spirit,"  so  sensible  of  the  forgi- 
ving mercy  of  God  in  having  washed  away  his  sins  in  the  blood  of 
Jesus,  that  his  heart  is  filled  with  songs  of  praise.  Similar  feelings 
may  nrise  on  deliverance  from  temptation,  on  escape  from  outward 
danger,  or  on  reflecting  upon  the  goodness  of  an  Almighty  Protector 
and  Provider;  and  when  the  melody  thus  raised  in  the  heart  breaks 
forth  in  outward  expression,  we  cannot  doubt  that  it  is  that  "fruit 
of  the  lips"  which  is  acceptable  to  the  bounteous  Giver  of  every 
good  gift. 

*  Clement  of  Alexandria,  says,  "  Prayer,  if  I  may  speak  so  boldly,  is  inter- 
course with  God;  even  if  we  do  but  lisp,  even  though  we  cry  to  Him  in  the 
inward  recesses  of  the  heart;  for  God  always  listens  to  the  perfect  direction 
of  the  inward  soul  to  Him." 

rhrysostom  remarks,  "It  is  not  here  as  in  the  Old  Testament;  wherever 
you  may  be.  you  still  have  the  altar,  the  sacrificial  knife,  and  the  offering  by 
you;  for  you  yourself  are  priest,  altar,  and  sacrifice.  .  Wherever  you  are,  you 
may  raise  an  altar  by  simply  cherishing  a  devout  and  serious  temper.  Place 
and  time  are  no  hinderance.  Though  you  boi%  not  the  knee,  though  you 
beat  not  the  breast,  though  you  stretch  not  out  your  hands  to  Heaven,  but 
only  manifest  a  warm  heart,  you  have  all  that  belongs  to  prayer.  The  wife, 
while  she  holds  in  her  lap  the  spindle,  and  spins,  can  with  her  soul  look  up 
to  Heaven,  and  call  with  fervency  on  the  name  of  the  Lord.  It  is  possible 
for  Mi*  man  to  offer  a  fervent  prayer  while  on  his  way  alone  to  the  market — 
for  that,  to  lift  up  his  soul  to  God,  who  sits  in  his  shop  and  sews  leather;  and 
the  servant  who  makes  purchases,  goes  errands,  or  sits  in  the  kitchen,  has 
nothing  to  hinder  him  from  doing  the  same  thing." — Neander't  Church  J7w- 
tory,  vol.  8,  pp.  894—6. 


20  THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP. 

Whilst  it  is  evident  that,  for  this  intercourse  of  the  soul  with  the 
"  Father  of  Spirits,"  it  is  not  essential  that  there  should  be  any  vocal 
expression — whilst,  in  fact,  it  is  probably  in  "  the  silence  of  all  flesh" 
that  the  enjoyment  of  this  blessed  communion  will  be  the  most  free 
and  unrestrained,  the  most  uninterrupted,  the  most  pure,  and  the 
most  complete,  yet  it  has  consisted  with  His  wisdom  and  with  his 
condescending  goodness,  to  give  to  his  church  apostles,  evangelists, 
pastors,  and  teachers,  "  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ;"  and  it  is 
from  her  living  members,  that  He,  whose  prerogative  alone  it  is, 
still  condescends  to  select  ministers  for  his  own  service.  For,  as 
under  the  Law,  so  under  the  gospel,  "no  man  taketh  this  honour 
unto  himself,  but  he  that  is  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron."  Having 
themselves  "  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,"  they  are  filled  with 
the  love  of  Christ,  and  with  desires  that  others  may  be  brought  to 
the  same  blessed  experience.  They  feel  constrained  "  to  testify  the 
gospel  of  the  grace  of  God."  They  can  say  with  Paul  that  "  neces- 
sity is  laid  upon  them."  When  they  venture  to  speak  as  "  ambassa- 
dors of  Christ"  in  the  congregation,  it  is  truly  an  act  of  submission 
and  worship.  They  speak  in  obedience  to  Him  who  has  a  right  to 
command  their  services.  Not  seeking  their  own  honour — not  preach- 
ing themselves,  "but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,"  they  testify  of  that  which 
their  hands  have  handled  spiritually,  and  from  their  own  experience 
are  prepared  to  direct  sinners  in  the  way  of  salvation.  The  words 
thus  coming  from  the  heart  of  the  preacher,  under  the  constraining 
influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  will  often  find  their  way  to  the  hearts 
and  consciences  of  the  hearers;  and  when  these  accept  the  words 
spoken  as  a  message  from  their  Heavenly  Father  through  his  instru- 
ment— not  as  originating  with  the  instrument — their  reverential 
listening  becomes  also  an  act  of  worship.  Under  these  circumstances, 
such  preaching,  whether  it  be  homely  or  eloquent,  whether  in  a  few 
broken  words  or  in  a  longer  discourse,  will  tend  to  kindle  and  increase 
in  the  hearts  of  the  audience  individually  those  aspirations  which  arc 
the  essence  of  spiritual  worship,  and  will  contribute  to  their  edifica- 
tion and  advancement  in  the  Christian  course.  The  young  and  the 
unconverted,  who  might  happen  to  be  present,  could  hardly  fail  to 
be  favourably  impressed  with  the  evidence  of  sincerity  and  earnest- 
ness in  the  worshippers,  and  to  participate  to  some  extent  in  the 
spirit  and  influence  pervading  the  assembly;  the  effect  of  which 
would  be  far  more  powerftil  than  the  sweetest  music  or  the  most  im- 
posing ceremonies,  in  bringing  them  into  the  ranks  of  the  true  wor- 
shippers. 

A  Church  thus  gathered,  in  ever  so  mean  a  building,  composed, 
it  may  be,  of  persons  in  every  stage  of  religious  progress,  from  the 
newly  awakened  sinner  to  the  matured  Christian,  belongs  to  the 
militant  portion  of  that  glorious  Church,  prefigured  by  the  outward 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP.  21 

temple  at  Jerusalem  with  its  costly  magnificence  and  beauty — the 
one,  a  temple  made  with  hands,  and  richly  furnished  with  decorations 
pleasing  to  the  senses  of  man  ;  the  other,  composed  of  "living  stones," 
some  of  them  in  the  process  of  being  hewed  and  squared  by  the  great 
Waster  Builder  for  their  respective  places  in  the  spiritual  house,  and 
some  already  fixed  there,  more  or  less  adorned  with  the  gifts  and 
graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  all  "  growing  together  into  a  holy 
temple  in  the  Lord" — a  temple  intrinsically  beautiful  in  the  eyes  of 
Him  who  "sccth  not  as  man  sccth,"  and  who  "  dwclleth  not  in  tem- 
ples made  with  hands,  neither  is  worshipped  with  men's  hands  as 
though  he  needed  any  thing." 

In  this  living  Church,  preacher  and  hearer  would  be  found,  each 
in  his  respective  sphere,  unitedly  worshipping  Him  who  is  a  Spirit, 
"  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  Their  words  also  agreeing  with  their  in- 
ward feelings,  there  would  be  the  true  harmony  of  which  the  music 
practised  under  the  Law  may  be  regarded  as  a  figure — a  harmony 
not  only  of  heart  with  act,  but  also  of  heart  with  heart — a  harmony 
which  would  ascend  with  acceptance  to  the  throne  of  the  God  of 
truth,  who,  in  return,  we  may  reverently  believe,  would  shower  down 
abundant  blessing  upon  such  a  congregation.  By  the  influence  of 
His  own  Spirit,  he  would  at  times  humble  and  make  contrite  the 
hearts  thus  gathered  before  Him,  and  render  their  prayers  fruitful 
in  supplies  of  strength  for  their  resistance  against  the  evil  propensi- 
ties of  fallen  nature,  and  for  the  right  performance  of  every  social 
and  religious  duty.  Such  is  the  legitimate  fruit  of  all  true  worship, 
and  unless  the  growth  of  this  fruit — that  of  a  holy  life — be  promoted 
by  it,  we  may  well  suspect  unsoundness  in  our  practice  in  regard  to 
our  devotional  exercises.  It  will  be  but  "as  sounding  brass  or  as 
the  tinkling  cymbal." 

"To  religious  feelings  as  to  other  things,"  says  Dymond,*  "the 
truth  applies  '  by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.'  If  those  feelings 
do  not  tend  to  form  the  inclinations  to  piety  and  virtue,  they  certainly 
arc  riot  devotional.  Upon  him  whose  mind  is  really  prostrated  in 
the  presence  of  his  God,  the  legitimate  effect  is  that  he  should  be 
impressed  with  a  more  sensible  consciousness  of  the  Divine  presence; 
that  he  should  deviate  with  less  facility  from  the  path  of  duty;  that 
his  desires  and  thoughts  should  be  reduced  to  Christian  subjugation; 
that  he  should  feel  an  influential  addition  to  his  dispositions  to  good- 
ness; and  that  his  affections  should  be  expanded  towards  his  fellow- 
men.  He  who  rises  from  the  sensibilities  of  seeming  devotion,  and 
finds  that  such  effects  as  these  have  not  been  produced  in  his  mind, 
may  rest  assured  that  in  whatever  else  he  has  been  employed,  it  has 
not  been  in  the  pure  worship  of  that  God  who  is  a  Spirit.  .  .  . 
When  the  soul  is  permitted  as  it  were  to  enter  into  the  sanctuary  of 


"  "Essays  on  the  Principles  of  Morality." 


22  THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP. 

God,  when  it  is  humble  in  His  presence,  when  all  its  desires  are  in- 
volved in  the  one  desire  of  devotcdness  to  Him,  then  is  the  hour  of 
acceptable  worship — then  the  petition  of  the  soul  is  prayer — then  is 
its  gratitude  thanksgiving — then  is  its  oblation  prai.sc." 

It  is  well  however  to  remember  that  the  important  practical  results 
above  mentioned  arc  not  altogether  dependent  on  the  sensible  enjoy- 
ment of  the  presence  of  Him  who  is  to  the  true  believers  the  beloved 
of  their  souls.  We  are  too  apt  to  conclude,  that  unless  somewhat  of 
devotional  fervour  is  experienced,  our  religious  meetings  are  profit- 
less; whereas,  if  we  should  have  to  retire  from  them,  even  under  a 
painful  sense  of  our  inability  to  control  our  wandering  thoughts,  and 
to  concentrate  them  on  the  one  great  object  for  which  we  are  assem- 
bled, and  have  thus  acquired  some  increase  of  self-knowledge  and 
humility;  and  if  this  self-knowledge  shall  have  somewhat  stimulated 
our  desires  after  higher  attainments,  so  far  from  the  time  having 
been  lost,  an  important  step  in  the  Christian  course  has  been  gained. 
But  let  us.  ever  bear  in  mind  that  if,  at  other  times  than  those  set 
apart  for  religious  exercises,  we  are  living  thoughtlessly,  or  pursuing 
business  as  the  one  thing  needful,  without  reference  to  our  future 
well-being,  it  is  unreasonable  to  expect  to  partake  of  the  comforts  of 
the  Spirit.  It  is  those  who,  in  their  ordinary  avocations,  are  careful 
not  to  allow  their  thoughts  to  dwell  too  continuously  on  the  things  of 
time  and  sense,  and  who,  in  their  daily  walk,  are  cherishing  the 
habit  of  secret  communion  with  their  God,  who  will  find  it  the  most 
easy  rightly  to  perform  public  worship.  When  beset  with  wandering 
thoughts,  or  with  weakness  of  faith,  or  with  coldness  of  heart,  they 
know  that  an  Almighty  helper  is  ever  at  hand,  and  to  him  they  lift 
up  their  souls.  They  are  thus  permitted  at  times,  through  His  as- 
sistance, to  realize  the  experience  of  an  Apostle,  "  When  I  am  weak, 
then  am  I  strong." 

May  Christians  of  every  denomination  be  willing  to  look  at  this 
matter  seriously  and  candidly.  It  is  a  subject  on  which  depends,  to 
a  very  large  extent,  not  only  the  substantial  prosperity  of  the  respec- 
tive churches  of  every  name,  but,  also  the  progress  of  Christianity  in 
the  world  at  large.  When  it  shall  become  evident  to  beholders  that 
Christians  are  sincere  in  their  devotions,  by  the  rich  abundance  of 
their  good  fruits — by  their  charity — their  meekness — their  humility — 
their  purity — their  integrity — their  temperance  in  all  things — then 
may  we  expect  the  fulfilment  of  the  prophetic  language,  "The  Gen- 
tiles shall  see  thy  righteousness,  and  all  kings  thy  glory."  "They 
that  despised  thee  shall  bow  themselves  down  at  the  soles  of  thy  feet, 
and  they  shall  call  thee  the  city  of  the  Lord,  the  Zion  of  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel." 

In  conclusion,  the  writer  would  venture  to  add  one  brief  remark 
of  practical  and  individual  application.  Admitting,  as  we  must, 
that  in  the  practice  of  a  worship  the  most  overlaid  with  forms  and 


THOUGHTS  ON  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP.  23 

ceremonies,  there  may  be  instances  of  spirituality  of  mind,  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  that  in  the  disuse  of  all  forms,  there  may  exist  idol- 
atry in  one  or  other  of  its  varied  phases,  let  us  never  forget  that 
whether  we  use  this  form  or  that,  or  no  form  at  all,  if  we  are  choosing 
to  follow  the  inclinations  of  our  own  hearts  when  conscious  that  we 
are  acting  in  opposition  to  the  will  of  God,  it  is  manifest  that  in  thus 
serving  our  natural  desires  in  preference  to  Him,  we  are  violating 
the  first  commandment  in  the  Decalogue — a  commandment  containing 
the  sum  and  substance  of  the  whole  matter — "  Thou  shalt  have  no 
other  gods  before  ME." 


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